Karnataka: Congress leader R V Devaraj dies at 67
Bengaluru (PTI): Congress leader and former MLA R V Devaraj passed away in Mysuru, party sources said on Tuesday.
He died at the age of 67 after suffering a heart attack on Monday night, they said.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condoled the death, saying the news of the passing of Devaraj—former MLA of the Chickpet Assembly constituency and a senior Congress leader—was deeply saddening.
"Devaraj, who was known for his ideological commitment and concern for the people, worked tirelessly for many years as a loyal and dedicated member of the Congress. He should have been with us for many more years," Siddaramaiah said in a post on 'X'.
"I pray that the departed soul rests in peace and that strength is granted to his family members and admirers to bear this loss," he added.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar also said the news of Devaraj’s death had brought profound sorrow. "His contributions to the Chickpet constituency through politics and social service are immeasurable," he said in a post on 'X'.
Shivakumar said Devaraj’s passing was a great loss to the state’s politics and to the Chickpet constituency.
"May Devaraj’s soul attain peace. I pray that the Almighty grants strength to his family members and admirers to bear this grief," he added.
Devaraj, a three-time MLA, was elected from the Chamarajpet constituency on a Congress ticket in 1989 and 1999.
In 2004, he vacated the seat for then Chief Minister S M Krishna, who went on to win the election.
After the delimitation exercise, Devaraj returned to the Assembly in 2013, this time representing the Chickpet constituency.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
